


What It Means to Be a Hero

by Vegeta413



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:14:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25385119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vegeta413/pseuds/Vegeta413
Summary: Yamato Kanbara and Koharu Honda were among the lucky thousand to be selected for the Sword Art Online beta test. But on the last day of the test, both of their worlds are turned upside down. Just when they feel all hope is lost in their lives, they find each other. But on the day of the official launch of the game, everything changes forever.
Relationships: Koharu Honda/original character
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

Prologue

~Police Station, Tokyo~

When did I first realize just how weak I was? I'll never forget the moment. As I sat in front of two police officers recounting the events of the past twenty-four hours, I couldn't help but notice the look of horror that took over my father’s face. It wasn't a look of disappointment, per se. Not was it a look of anger. It was a look of...defeat and fear. And all I had wanted was to help. 

My family had always been moderately wealthy. Both my parents worked, my sister and I enjoyed a comfortable life, everything was as average as could be. But when my mother fell ill, she was forced to leave her job. The loss of income, as well as the piling medical expenses, caused money in our household to become tight. I thought that this was my moment to be strong and to help our family. 

I begged my father to let me get a job. He was hesitant about it at first, but since it was summer vacation, he eventually allowed it. While not many places wanted to hire a fourteen-year-old boy, but I finally found a tea shop willing to hire me. The manager, forty-something-year-old woman named Yuuko Kamishiro, sat me down and I explained my situation. She was by all appearances sympathetic and even offered to let me stay after hours to help her clean the shop.

Looking back, it should have struck me as strange that an adult woman would invite a teenage boy to stay alone with her. But at the time I thought nothing of it and graciously accepted. When the time finally came, however, I soon learned her true intention for hiring me. She took me to her office claiming we were to start cleaning there. That was when she locked the door behind us and forced herself on me. In moments, our clothes were and the rest was a haze of her adult body taking from me my innocence. 

When she had used me to her content, she tied me up and locked me in her closet. It was clear intention was to keep repeating the deed each night. Fortunately, the next day, the police responded to an anonymous tip and stormed the office. 

And now here I was, explaining all of this to the police and to my father. While I knew my father’s feelings of genuine concern for me, I couldn't help but imagine that in the back of his head he was morning the loss of my future and the future of our family. 

As the oldest and only Kanbara son, he had hoped that I would go to a university and graduate and become successful, marrying a beautiful woman from another successful household and bettering our family’s status. However, now I had lost something the people value highly in a potential partner, as I lost in a very gruesome way. No family would allow a good woman to be my bride. My most likely future was something that made my heart sink: my father would probably arrange for me to marry an older woman, one much like the one who had put me in this position in the first place. It would be a woman perhaps on her second marriage and who could potentially set me on a good track career-wise. 

The ride home was one of painful silence. When we got home, my father didn't say a word. He simply poured himself a glass whiskey and sat on his favorite chair. My mother was sitting on the couch. I could see the tear tracks under her eyes. I couldn't look back at her. I walked quietly to my room and sat for a moment. Then I did the only thing I could think of: I picked up a metallic device shaped like a helmet from my nightstand. The front of the device read the word ”NerveGear.” I stared at the strange device for a moment. ”Mama...Papa...” I muttered as a tear dripped down my face. I then placed it on my head, laid down on my bed, and said aloud ”Link start!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~In a large house in Tokyo~

A girl of about fourteen with wavy, shoulder-length, dark-brown hair, fair skin, and bright green eyes laid on a large, fluffy couch. She turned the final page in the book she was reading and then set it down on the coffee table. She sat up, stretched, and then excitedly shot up and raced up to her room. 

Koharu Honda had always loved fantasy books and movies from a young age. Stories of knights, wizards, dragons, and such had always filled her with happiness. When she was young, her father would read her books. When the got older, her mother took her to every fantasy-themed movie, good or bad, that came to the theaters. She was an only child, and her father worked for a very large electronics company. To say she was spoiled would be an understatement, but she never took anything for granted. 

Naturally, when she heard that the first virtual reality online game was going to be fantasy-themed, she begged her father to use his connections to get a slot in the month-long beta test. As he usually did, he caved. Unfortunately, Koharu was by no means a gamer. Over the last thirty days, she hadn't made it off of the first floor out the game’s hundred levels, and she had lost count of the number of times she'd died. Though there was no pain in the game, she woke up in a cold sweat after each deadly monster encounter.

But today was the last day of the test, and Koharu was determined to make it to the second floor. As she made her way into her room, she remembered she left the full-dive device known as the NerveGear in her father’s office. She quickly ran into the workspace and grabbed the helmet-like console, but upon the return trip to her room, she overheard the voices of her parents coming from their bedroom. 

”We can't keep pretending to be happy just to protect Koharu, Takumi.” said Koharu’s mother. ”She’s a big girl. I don't want to hurt her any more than you do, but this unhealthy.” 

”I know.” said Koharu’s father. ”But how do we even begin to tell her?” Koharu’s heart sank. She had a feeling she could tell what they were talking about, but she didn't want to believe it. ”How do I tell my little girl that her parents are getting divorced?” 

Unable to hold back the years anymore, Koharu ran to her room, dropped the NerveGear on the floor, fell onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow. ”How...could this...happen?” she sobbed. After several moments of crying into her pillow, she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. All she wanted right now was to escape this reality, and thankfully, the means to do just that was sitting on the floor by her bed. She picked it up, placed on her head, laid back, and spoke the start-up command: ”Link start!”


	2. Prologue II

Prologue II

Though Koharu was a beta tester, she wasn't much of a gamer. After the conversation she had just overheard between her parents, however, she was determined now more than ever to reach the second floor of the castle SAO took place in: Aincrad.

Her avatar could only be described as beautiful. She had long, flowing dark hair that had an almost greenish tint to it and was tied into a ponytail that reached her hips. She had porcelain skin and bright, almost glowing, green eyes. If the game had given her an option, she would have made her ears pointed, too. She was a bit disappointed that the only race you could play as in the game was human, as she had hoped to play as an elf. 

She trudged into the dungeon dawning the best leather armor that she could buy on the first floor. With an iron rapier attached to her waist, she thought for sure this would be the day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hiya!” I raised my sword and slashed through yet another Rushing Boar with ease. Normally, in an MMORPG, it would be considered poor gamer etiquette to grind in a dungeon well below your level, but this was a special case. Today was the last day of the beta test for the world's first virtual reality massively multiplayer online game: Sword Art Online. 

As a special event for the last day of the test, each floor that had been cleared, nine in total, was having a special mob event in all of its dungeons. After everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, I just wanted to slaughter monsters on the first floor. I didn't have it in me to fight down to my last bit of HP taking on Fallen Elves on the ninth floor. 

”Hey, Mati, let's go. There's another spawn point up ahead.” said my party member. Today I joined up with another player going by the handle ”Kirito.” My handle was ”Mati.” A nickname only my mother a girl I had been friends with when I was little ever called me. I had met Kirito about a week ago. Like me, he was a bit shy and awkward around other people. We ended up teaming up and a small quest and had been working together here and there since. 

While his avatar was a tall, slim man with neat black hair parted down the middle, mine was a brawny man a good deal taller than my actual body. I had long, brown hair pulled tightly into a warrior’s ponytail. We both dawned rare armor from the ninth floor, unique one-handed longswords, and while he chose to leave his left hand free, I wielded an elven shield. 

As I made to follow Kirito, I heard a girl scream. Immediately, I changed directions. I don't know why. Obviously, no one was in real danger. And I wasn't some naive boy trying to save the damsel in distress. Hell, for all I knew the scream came from a male player playing as a female character. There was a lot of that in MMORPGs. 

Kirito was clearly irritated by my decision but followed me. We turned a corner to find a single female player swinging a bronze rapier at a number of oncoming boars. She was objectively gorgeous but Kirito and I both knew it was just by design. ”Really, Mati?” Kirito asked. ”I mean, I'll help you save her. It's just, I didn't peg you for that type of gamer.” 

”I’m not.” I assured him. ”But it would kind of suck for anyone to die on the last die.” My comrade sighed and followed me in as we began hacking at the mobs. Being players who had spent the last day or two grinding on floor ten, we dispatched the monsters on the first floor with ease. After a few minutes, all the monsters were gone.

I half expected the girl, especially if she was actually a girl, to tell us to mind our own business and then run off. However, her reaction was quite the opposite. She scratched her head and gave a weak laugh. ”Gee, thanks, guys. Heh heh. Guess I bit off a little more than I could chew. I didn't think there'd be so many monsters in one spawn point.” 

”Um, no offense, but, did you perchance read brochure for the game before you logged in?” I asked.

”...brochure?” 

”He’s talking about the last day event.” said Kirito flatly. ”All the dungeons are having mass mob events.” 

”Oh, heh, right.” she said shyly. ”Guess it's not too hard to tell I'm not much of a gamer, huh?” 

”Yeah, well, I'm gonna log out for the day. Mati?” 

I looked at the girl, who was clearly lost. ”Um, I’ll stick around and help her out of here. If that's okay with you, that is.” 

She smiled. ”Sure! I’d really appreciate that!” 

”Suit yourselves.” At that, Kirito logged out. 

”He’s really...something, isn't he?” the girl asked. 

”He’s not a bad guy.” I said. ”That's Kirito. I met him about a week ago. And um, I'm Mati.” 

”Oh right! I never introduced myself. I'm Koharu. Anyway, if you don't mind, I really could use the help getting out of here.” 

”Yeah no problem.” We could have teleported, but with it being the last day I had already used all of my crystals. As we walked, I finally had to ask. ”So Koharu. How does someone who's so...inexperienced at gaming end up in the SAO beta?” 

”Yeah that is pretty strange, huh?” She seemed to blush a bit as if she was embarrassed. ”Truth be told, I just love fantasy stories. Books, movies, you name it. I've been in love with the genre ever since I was a little girl. And it just so happens my dad has connections at Argus, so when I heard about this game I sort of begged him to get me a spot in the test. Pretty lame, right?” 

I couldn't help myself. ”Ahahahahaha!”

”Well you don't have to laugh about it...”

”I'm sorry.” I said as I calmed down a bit. ”Honestly if I had those types of connections I’d probably...” I trailed off, remembering my father and I weren't on the best of terms right now. ”Anyway, don't be embarrassed. I sort of got my slot through similar means. A guy I used to play another online game with happened to be an employee at Argus and sent me a link to apply. He didn't confirm it but I suspect he pushed the application through to get accepted.” 

”That was nice of him.” 

”Yeah I suppose.” I said as we exited the dungeon. ”Anyway, the test is about to be over. We should probably log out soon.” 

”Wait!” she said as I pulled up my menu. She was blushing again. ”Um, you wouldn't wanna maybe...meet up when the game launches for real, would you? I could really use some pointers to play the game better.” 

This question threw me off. ”Well, um, I'd like to. But the thing is, after today, everything gets erased. All our character info and save data, including friends lists and stuff like that.” 

”Hmm that is a problem, huh?” She snapped her fingers. ”Oh! I know! We’ll use the exact same names and avatars when the game launches for real. That way we’ll be able to find each other!”

Crap. I didn't plan on using this name for the actual game. I was embarrassed enough by it when I actually started meeting people in the beta. ”I don't know...”

”Aw come on!” Koharu stuck her lower lip out and opened her bright green eyes as widely as possible. ”You're not gonna leave a poor girl to fend for herself all by her lonesome, are you?” I still wasn't sure if she was actually a girl or not. I was by no means an expert on the female gender, but from what I could tell by her mannerisms, she seemed real.

”Okay, okay! I'll do it. Just stop making that face!” 

”Yay!” She threw her arms around me almost hard enough to set off the anti-harassment system. ”I’ll see you in two months. Oh, and if you stand me up, I'll be super pissed.” At that, she called up her main menu and logged out.

”What a strange girl.” I said to myself before logging out.


	3. Escaping Reality

Escaping Reality

After two long months of waiting, the day was finally here. November 6, 2022, the official launch of Sword Art Online. Since the last day of the beta, things were a bit weird. I started high school, and though a knew a lot of the kids there from my last school, things seemed different. Apparently, the incident at the tea shop had gotten out, and many of the kids alienated me. The girls thought I was gross and the boys cracked jokes about how lucky I was. 

Things did gradually begin to get better though. My parents started acting as if it didn't happen, and I began to think that maybe I could still have a normal life. Perhaps I could still go to a university and meet a nice girl there. It wasn't exactly what my father had wanted, but it would be something. 

And then I came downstairs that. I ran down excitedly to have breakfast and was met by my father sitting at the table with a strange woman whom I did not recognize. She was visibly younger than my dad by maybe ten years, possibly a bit more. She had thin, shoulder-length, silver hair, soft, grey eyes with light bags under them. She had pale skin and was wearing a plain, purple gown. Her whole appearance could be described as very plain. 

My father, with a serious face visible through his greying beard, motioned me into the kitchen. ”Please, son. Have a seat.”

”W-what's going on?” I asked as I did as I was told. ”Where are mom and Touka?” 

”Your mother and sister went shopping this morning. This is a discussion I wanted the three of us to have. You remember my second cousin, Yashima Ayako, yes?” I nodded, as I now recalled meeting her at large family gatherings once or twice. ”Yashima had just turned forty, and has been divorced for three years now.” I did remember hearing about that. Her husband ran off with some younger girl in America. ”Yamato. You know I only want what's best for you.” 

My heart sank. I had a gut feeling where he might be going with this. ”Dad...what are you...saying?”

He looked down and refused to make eye contact with me. ”Yamato...when you turn eighteen and graduate high school, you will marry Yashima and take over her family’s business. They own a decently successful store, and since her husband left, Yashima’s father had to come out of retirement to help manage it. Inheriting the business is the best course of action for you given...the circumstances.” 

Yashima gave a very faint smile and spoke in a soft voice. ”I’m looking forward to having a happy life with you Yamato. I promise to be a good wife to you.” 

I struggled to find words. ”But dad I-”

”I've made up my mind, son! You may not see it now, but this is the best possible future for you.” He stood up. ”I know you've got plans later, but please take the time to get to know your new fiance. I'll leave you two be, for a moment.” At that, he left the room. 

I sat speechless for a moment before Yashima finally stood up and walked over to my side of the table. ”I won't take up too much of your time. Your father tells me you want to play a new video game later today. That must be exciting for you. In three short years, I'm going to have you all to myself forever, so I don't mind letting you have your fun for the time being.” 

I made to stand up. ”Huh?” Before I was able to get out of my seat, her hands grabbed my shoulders and forced me back down.

”Oh little Yamato. What that rapist did to you in that tea shop was terrible. I felt so sorry for you. But in a way, it's a blessing. You see, I've thought you were a very handsome boy since we last met.” 

”Wait what? I had to have been like...twelve then.”

”Mhm. And like my ex-husband, I have eyes for young little delicious things. Of course, back then, you were far out of my reach, destined to marry a beautiful girl from some rich family. And then that slut plucked your seed from your beautiful little body, and when I heard, the pieces fell into place. About a month ago I proposed this arrangement to your father, and after some time to think, he accepted it.” 

”You...you can't...”

”Oh but I can. The poor little victim will marry a loving older woman who will shower him with endless love. When you turn eighteen and graduate, and your father hands you over to me, I'll show you how a woman should truly love a boy such as yourself. Hmm. Here's an idea. In the summertime, perhaps I can take you to my family’s cabin in Kyoto, just the two of us, and educate you in the true ways of a mature woman’s body. I'll speak to your father about it later. He’ll want you to get to know your bride to be, after all. Anyway, enjoy your little game, my darling. In three years, you're going to be all mine.” She pulled me in close and pressed a pair of wet lips against my cheek before letting go of me and leaving my house. 

Barely able to keep tears from bursting from my eyes, I tore back upstairs and into my bedroom. My world was over. My father, the man I looked up to, the man who was supposed to protect me, was handing me over to a deeply perverted woman. I had always heard of these types of trap arranged marriages. An older suitor manipulates the parents to snatch a young lover, though the genders are usually reversed. Indeed, if I tried to express my concerns about this to anyone, they would write it off as paranoia brought on by my trauma. 

This world had nothing left for me. In three years, I was going to be at the mercy of a truly diabolical woman. All sorts of things were racing through my head. Fear. Anger. Disgust. I picked up the NerveGear from my nightstand. There was one world I could escape to. It may not be a permanent escape, but I made a promise to Koharu. I would meet up with her and show her the ropes of Sword Art Online. I fitted the helmet to my head, laid down, and when the clock struck 1:00 PM, spoke the phrase that changed everything. ”Link start!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since she met Mati on the last day of the beta test, Koharu had been playing a number of different MMORPGs to practice for the fast-approaching retail launch of Sword Art Online, and the day was finally here. 

Since she had overhead the dreadful discussion of divorce between her parents, they had sat bee down and officially explained to her that they were splitting up. As of now, they weren't officially divorced but were living separately, and Saturday, November 6 was her father’s day with her. 

As she sat quietly reading the SAO brochure for the sixth time in the last two months in the passenger’s seat of her mother’s car, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She still was not used to this process, and it was clear her mother was a little uncomfortable with it as well. ”Koharu, I...” Koharu tore her eyes from the manual to listen to her mom. She was trying her hardest not to resent her parents for everything. ”I just wanted to say...have fun at your father’s this weekend, and try not to spend too much time on that machine.” She was referring to the NerveGear sitting on Koharu’s lap. 

”I know, mama.” said Koharu softly. As the pulled into the driveway of her father’s new house, Koharu kissed her mother on the cheek, grabbed her things ran into the house. As she walked into the house it still felt a bit strange. Her father was really wealthy so even though he was paying for it on his it was still a very nice living space. ”Daddy! I'm here!” she called out. 

Her father came out of the kitchen and gave her a hug. ”Koharu...I’m so happy to have you this weekend.” 

”I'm happy to be here, Daddy.” she said as she squeezed him back. As she looked around for a place to set down her things, her father smiled. 

”Come on into the next room, sweetie.” As she followed into a room that had previously been simply for storage the last time she was there, she gasped and practically dropped her precious NerveGear. ”Do you like it? Your uncle and I set it up for you this week.”

Koharu looked around in amazement as she saw a large leather reclining chair, a huge monitor a few feet in front of it, a bookshelf already filled with some of her favorites, and a case displaying some of her favorite movies placed under the television screen. Lastly, there was a desk next to the chair which already had Koharu’s computer set up on it, and had space clearly meant for her to keep the NerveGear. ”I love it, Daddy!” 

As she checked the time and saw that it was just twenty minutes before 1:00 PM, she looked around and felt a bit anxious. Her father smiled. ”Don't worry, Hari. I know all about the SAO launch, and you'll be on that chair in time for it, I promise. Here, let me help you set it up.” 

It took about five minutes to get everything set up for Koharu to log in from the recliner. She was just about to set the NerveGear on her head when her father spoke up again. ”Hari, I want you to have fun, but also be safe.” 

”I know, Daddy.”

”People can pretend to be whomever they want in these sorts of games.” 

”I know, Daddy!” 

”I know, you're a smart girl. Just promise me. Log in for an hour for starters. Then...there’s sort of...someone I’d like you to meet. She’s...coming over a bit later today.” 

Koharu felt her heart sink a bit. ”Is it...her?” She knew that about a month after the separation, her father had started seeing a young analyst from his company. She was disgusted that he only waited a month before going out with a younger woman, but she chose to dismiss it as a phase and figured it wouldn't last long. But if he was ready to introduce them, that must have meant it was getting serious. Her father nodded, confirming her suspicion. ”Okay.” she said, barely above a whisper. 

Her father simply patted her shoulder. ”Have fun, sweetie.” At that, he left the room. Koharu stared at her NerveGear for a moment. This meant that they were going through with the divorce. Until now, she had some faint hope that they would move past their problems and get back together. But now, this was proof that this was really happening. She looked at the time. 12:55 PM. There was one place where she could run away from all of this. At least for an hour. She fit the helmet on, laid back in her new chair, and spoke the command that would change her life forever: ”Link start!”


	4. The World of Swords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mati and Koharu escape reality in Sword Art Online, only to find out they’ve left one hell for another!

The World of Swords

All nine hundred and ninety-nine of the other beta testers of Sword Art Online were probably disappointed to have to start their characters from scratch. But Koharu, who hadn't even made it off the first floor of Aincrad during the entire month-long test, had barely lost any progress. Her starter avatar was more or less exactly what it was by the end of the test.

While everyone around her made their way to the weapons shops, she frantically looked around for the boy who promised to teach her how to play the game properly. Koharu’s friends had teased her when she told them she made a boy in an online game, and even her over-protective father was very skeptical. But she somehow wasn't worried. She had this feeling that the boy was who he said he was. And even if he wasn't and turned out to be a weirdo, she could just log out and never see him again. 

The problem now was finding Mati. She made him promise to use the same name and avatar so she could find him more easily, but that didn't necessarily mean he’d keep that promise. On top of that, a player's handle wasn't visible if they weren't on your friends list, so she really could only search for the avatar. 

Just when she was about to give up, she spotted the tall, muscular avatar, sporting the same war ponytail as he had in the beta. Having to start from scratch equipment-wise, he was now wearing a simple tan long sleeve shirt and brown leather vest, with a beginner longsword sheathed across his back. ”Mati!” she shouted. 

Startled, the boy’s bright blue eyes widened, and as he spotted Koharu, he quietly walked over to her. ”Do...do you have to be so loud?” 

”Oh? Is someone embarrassed by his username?” she teased. 

”What? No! It was your idea to use the same ones...anyway, we should probably go get you your weapon before we hit the fields.” 

”Yeah, I figured I’d wait until I met up with you before I did that so you could help me pick out the right one.” 

”Hmm, makes sense. When we met in the beta, you were using a rapier, weren't you?”

”Yeah! But the problem was...I couldn't get any of those skill thingies to work. I read the manual and I thought it said all you had to do was start the right motion.” 

”Well, yeah that's true...the thing is, a rapier’s a one-handed weapon, and you were sort of...swing it with both hands.” 

”Wait, really? That's all it was? Come on, let's go get my new weapon!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After careful consideration, I convinced Koharu that if she was more comfortable using two hands, then she should buy a spear rather than a rapier. She seemed disappointed for some reason, but ultimately agreed it was better for her to use a two-handed weapon with decent range. 

After helping her adjust her skills and equipment, I took her to the Beginner Plains. ”Alright.” I said as I drew my sword. ”I'll start, and you finish it off. Sound like a plan?”

”Um, a-alright.” Her answer was very convincing. But at least a hit from a rushing boar wouldn't do too much damage to her HP if she missed. 

I slashed at the boar in front of us with the sword skill called Slant, taking a chunk of it's HP. ”Now switch in, Koharu!” I yelled as I fell back and let her face the beast. 

Her knees trembling, she raised her spear, and suddenly, its tip began to glow green. Before she knew what she was doing, she met the boar head-on and ran it through, depleting its HP and causing it to shatter into tiny polygonal shards. ”I did it!” she cheered, throwing her arms around me. ”I killed a monster! Wahoo! I could just kiss you!” As soon as we both realized what she had just said, she released me and blushed a deep crimson. I was sure if I could see my face it’d have been the same shade. 

”Pretty simple once you get the hang of it, huh?” I said, trying to change the subject. 

”Hehe, yeah it is.” she giggled. ”So all the items and XP just automatically deposit into my account, right?” 

”Yeah, guess you have been reading up after all. Anyway...” I looked at the time. We had been logged in for about a half-hour. I wanted to spend as much time here as possible before I had to go back and face the reality of my father’s new arrangement for me. But who knew how long Koharu was planning on staying on. ”...wanna do some more hunting?” 

Though I couldn't see her player's view, I could tell she was also checking the time. ”Erm, yeah. I've got time! Let's go! Bet I can kill more than you!”

”I’ll take that bet.” I laughed as we ran farther into the plain. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the sky, technically the bottom of the second floor of Aincrad, turned a beautiful orange, Koharu exhaled and collapsed to the ground. ”Wow. This game is a lot of fun when you actually know what you're doing. And also a lot of work.”

”Heh.” laughed Mati. ”You have no idea the kind of hard work true gamers put into things like these. Especially this game...”

”Oh? And just how many hours have you spent behind your computer plugging away at these games?” Koharu teased. 

”Erm, not that much...though, I guess I am a pretty big nerd.” 

Koharu stood up and stretched. ”True...but you're a pretty cool nerd.” She checked the time. It was almost time for her to meet her dad's new girlfriend. It was the last thing she wanted to do, and she’d much rather stay logged in and play with Mati, but she didn't want to upset her father. ”Um, I think I have to get going soon. You?”

Mati looked away. ”I...I’ll stay a bit longer. Um...would you maybe wanna...”

Koharu smiled as she figured out what he was trying to say. ”You don't talk to very many girls, do you. Here.” She pulled up her menu and sent Mati a friend request. He blushed as he accepted it. She then was about to go to the logout menu when she heard shouting in the distance. 

”Logout! Stop! Off!” a somewhat older sounding player was screaming from behind her. 

Mati pointed. ”Um, what's with that guy?” Koharu turned around and saw a player with long pink hair making strange gestures to go along with his shouting. ”Hey, I know that other player that's with him. Come on, let's see what's going on.” 

They made their way over to the other two players and eventually, Koharu recognized the second player as well. The tall, long-haired player that had been with Mati when she first met him in the beta was explaining to his pink-haired friend that he couldn't remove his NerveGear through any in-game movement. ”Kirito.” said Mati. ”Long time no see. Um, what's with all the...dancing?” 

Kirito noticed the newcomers, but his expression didn't change. ”Mati. I take it neither of you has tried to log out yet.”

”I was about to.” said Koharu. 

”Go ahead, give it a shot.” said Kirito. 

Hesitantly, Koharu brought up her logout menu. And then her bright green eyes went wide with horror as she realized why Kirito’s friend had been so frantic just now. The logout button...was missing. ”B-but...it was right...there. Mati is yours there?” 

Mati pulled up his menu, paused, then shook his head. ”A bug maybe?” 

”Some bug.” said the pink-haired player. ”Do either have you live with anyone that would take the NerveGear off of you if you were logged in for too long?”

Koharu nodded. ”My dad will probably log me out any minute now. Mati?” She was curious not only to see if he could get out but it would give her insight as to how old he actually was. 

Mati nodded as well. ”My mom and sister went out for the day, but my dad and...well, my dad will probably force me off at some point as well.” 

As Koharu smiled at learning Mati must have been somewhere around her own age, she then noticed it seemed like he was remembering something uncomfortable. She was about to ask him about when a bell tolled. 

Suddenly, the four of them were blinded by pillars of blue and white light. When the light cleared, they were no longer in the plains, but in the Town of Beginnings. 

”What the hell?” the pink-haired player asked. 

”Someone forced a teleport.” said Kirito. 

”Mati, look!” said Koharu. 

”All the other players are being teleported here too.” said Mati as more and more players appeared in the center of town. ”And by the looks of how many there are, it's safe to assume that they're all having the same logout issue that we are.” 

Mati was right. This was at least close to the number of players that Koharu saw when she first logged in. Suddenly, red alert symbols started appearing all over the sky. Then, they merged together and formed a crimson, liquid-like substance, resembling blood. As it dripped down toward the players, it began to take a humanoid shape, until it turned into a giant, red-cloaked figure. 

”Mati, what is that? Some kind of boss monster?”

Mati shook his head. ”Bosses don't appear in the towns. This is a GM account.”

”That’s right.” said Kirito. ”But the GMs in the beta weren't ever that big.” 

Finally, the giant GM spoke loud enough for the entire town I hear. ”Hello, and welcome to my world.”

”What does he mean ’his world?’” the pink-haired player asked. 

”It can't be...” said Mati. 

”I am Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of Sword Art Online, and as of now, I am in control of this world.” 

”Akihiko...Kayaba?” echoed Koharu. ”Mati, what does he mean by that?” 

”I don't know.” said Mati. ”But it can't be anything good.”


	5. So Begins the Climb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mati and Koharu have been trapped in the world of swords with 10,000 other players. To survive, they decide to stick together, but as early as two months in, they find there are more tricks to survival than they anticipated.

Aincrad Floor 2, January 2023

”Damn it!” Koharu cursed as the HP bar of the monster we were hunting nearly hit zero.

”Almost!” I called out. ”Switch!” As Koharu locked up from the end of her combo, I subbed in and sliced up the bull, finishing it off. ”Nice work, Koharu. You've really come a long way.” 

”That’s because I have a great teacher, of course.” she said as we both blushed. It had been over two months since we were trapped in this game. For the hundredth time, the image of Akihiko Kayaba’s ”tutorial” played over in my head. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Town of Beginnings Floor 1, November 2022

Koharu and I looked up at the giant cloaked gm who had just introduced himself as Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of Sword Art Online. ”By now, many of you have probably noticed an item missing from your main menu: the logout button. Let me assure you this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was meant to be.” 

”What does he mean by that, Mati?” Koharu asked. 

”I think he’s about to tell us.” I said. 

”If someone in the real world tries to forcibly remove the NerveGear from your head, it will give off a microwave signal, destroying your brain and ending your life.” I looked around as the other players displayed several different reactions. Some of horror, some of shock, and others still deciding what to make of this. ”Despite my warnings, several players’ friends and family members have tried to remove the NerveGear. As a result, Sword Art Online now has two hundred and thirteen fewer players.” 

”This can't be...” I said. I looked over at Koharu, who had become extremely pale. 

Kayaba then pulled up several windows, displaying news coverage of what appeared to be SAO. Families in sheer terror of what he had done to their loved ones. ”As you can see, there is round-the-clock news coverage. By now, it's safe to say that the chances of logging out of SAO are minimal at best. There is only one way to leave the game. As of now, you are all on the bottom floor of Aincrad. Defeat the boss at the top of the tower and you progress to the second floor. Defeat the boss on floor one hundred and you will clear the game.” 

”Floor...one hundred?” Koharu wondered aloud. ”How long...will that take?” 

”In the month-long beta, no one got past floor ten...” I said. 

”It’s important to remember the following.” he continued. ”Revival will no longer be possible in the game. If your HP falls to zero, your avatar will be deleted from Sword Art Online forever. At the same time, your life will be ended in the real world by the NerveGear.” 

”No way.” I said. ”We have to beat the hundredth floor...without dying? That's...impossible.”

”One last thing. I've left you all a gift in your item storage.” 

Naturally, Koharu and I, as well as all the other players, checked our storage. Each and every one of us had the same item: a mirror. ”I don't get it.” I said. ”What’s the point of...” Suddenly, there was a flash of light. When the light cleared, I was no longer looking at my avatar’s reflection, but my own. ”It’s...me...”

”Mati?” It was Koharu’s voice, but when I looked up, instead of the tall, long, green-haired woman, a girl about my own age with shoulder-length black wavy hair was standing before me. Her eyes were green as ever. ”Is that...you?” 

”K-Koharu?” 

”This concludes the tutorial of Sword Art Online.” At that, Kayaba disappeared and panic ensued. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aincrad Floor 2, January 2023

In the time since that fateful day, Koharu and I had agreed to stick together. I would still show her the ropes of the game, only now it was in the interest of helping her survive. Just a few days ago, after two months of terror restlessness, the first floor was finally cleared. Koharu and I had partied up with Kirito and a girl named Asuna, and it was thanks to their efforts that the battle was won, though not everyone saw it that way. Now, on the second floor, Koharu and I were making our way to a meeting spot arranged by another fellow beta tester, Argo the Rat. 

”Why does Miss Argo want us to meet her all the way out here, anyway?” Koharu wondered. 

”Not sure. She might have some info that she wants to share with us first before she goes public with it. And...you know you don't have to be so formal with her, right?” 

”Hmph. I suppose you would know, huh?” That response was in reference to the bit of information that Argo had shared with Koharu and when we first met up with her on the first floor. 

”I told you. That was for a quest.” 

She leaned in real close. ”To a boy maybe. But to a girl, in-game or not, marriage is marriage.” 

I blushed. ”Oh come on! It was a requirement for the quest! And...you know...that quest is gonna come up at some point here, probably...” 

Her green eyes stared me down. ”And?” 

”Nothing! Just saying, is all!” 

”Mhm. Let's just get a move on.” At that, she went on ahead. I let out a sigh as I wondered if I'd ever understand girls. 

When we finally got to the spot where we were supposed to meet Argo, she was nowhere to be found. 

”Raaaaarggh!” 

”Mati...what the hell is that thing?” Koharu cried. 

Before us, a large, bull-like monster appeared. Above it appeared a green health bar and the name ”The Bulbous Bow.” 

”It’s the mid-boss. Let's get out of here.” We retreated until we were out of the monster’s range of aggro. 

”Haha, why so jumpy, Mati?” The high-pitched, nasally voice could come from no one but...

”Argo, if we make it out of this game alive, I'm gonna kill you.” 

”Aw come on, don't be like that.” she squeaked as she threw her arms around Koharu and me and planted a kiss on my cheek. ”Is that any way to speak to an old lover?” 

As Koharu threw me an ”I told you so” look, I pulled out of the embrace. ”What was the point of bringing us out here just to show us that? We already know about the mid-boss from the beta.” 

She winked at Koharu, signaling she wasn't done teasing me. ”Why are the pretty one's always so slow, ey Koharu?” As my green-eyed companion stifled a laugh, I took another look at the area. 

”Wait, this is way sooner than when the Bulbous Bow appeared in the beta.”

”Bingo, handsome. If we let the newbies or even the other former testers waltz out here and right into that guy, it could get ugly.” 

”But how are we gonna get the word out in time?” Koharu asked. ”The first floor was cleared days ago. By now people are gonna wanna start grinding on the second to get more XP.” 

”Right on the money, Ko-ho!” Argo exclaimed. 

”I’m not sure how I feel about that name.” said Koharu.

”Let’s stay focused.” I said. ”I assume you have a plan, Argo?” 

”That right.” said the rat. ”Now that Aincrad’s power couple is here we’ve got all the pieces we need!” 

”We’re not a couple!” Koharu and I exclaimed.

”So Mati’s still single.” said Argo with a longing glance. ”Even better. Anyway, meet the raiding party that’s gonna take down the Bulbous Bow before a single player gets to it.” Argo led us around a rock and we were shocked to see the other players she’d called here. Kibou and Lind, who were basically the leaders of the assault team since Diavel died in the first-floor boss raid. Then there were Agil and his three body-builder companions. And lastly Asuna, the girl from mine and Koharu’s party during the raid, and a certain black-clad boy who had announced himself as the dirty beater at the end of the last raid. 

”Kirito?” Koharu and I shouted in unison.


End file.
